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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Post-election violence 2008 - Index of articles & images
Political
Violence Report - November 2008
Zimbabwe Human
Rights NGO Forum
December 18, 2008
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As the human
rights and humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe continues to deteriorate,
more voices of dissent are coming up to demand an end to the political
impasse by the main political parties.
Reminiscent
of the previous month, civic groups such as the National
Constitutional Assembly (NCA) took to the streets to express
their discontent. Medical professionals also added their voices
to demand reforms in the health sector. The Zimbabwean authorities
continued in their use of excessive force against these peaceful
demonstrators, a trend that has become increasingly worrying and
has left many peaceful protestors severely injured and imprisoned.
The protests
by the NCA on 11 November in Bulawayo, Gweru, Harare, Masvingo and
Mutare, to advocate for the implementation of a three point plan
for:
- Transitional
Government
- People- Driven
Constitution
- Free and
Fair Elections, are an indication of the growing frustration among
Zimbabweans with the non-implementation of the power-sharing agreement.
The Zimbabwean
authorities continue to target human rights activists for arrest,
detention and abduction. As documented in this report, the police
raided the home of the NCA Chairman Lovemore Madhuku at dawn with
the intention of arresting him to prevent him from participating
in the planned NCA protests on 11 November 2008. Employees of the
Zimbabwe Peace
Project (ZPP) were also arrested while on a field trip in Harare's
Budiriro suburb. Their arrest and subsequent detention, as well
as that of the NCA Chairman, indicates the growing intolerance of
the Zimbabwean authorities of the activities of civic organizations.
Five months
after the Presidential Run-off Election, intolerance and harassment
of known and purported MDC supporters by ZANU PF youths, members
of the police and army, continue. This report documents the assault
of five suspected MDC supporters in Manicaland and a retributive
attack on a suspected MDC supporter who had reported to the police
in June, an attack by ZANU PF supporters.
Abductions of
MDC personnel have also been on the increase raising fears that
the callous murders of MDC activists such as Tonderai Ndira in advance
of the 27 June 2008 run-off elections could be repeated. Such reports
cast doubt and raise concern over the political will of the Zimbabwean
authorities to implement the power-sharing agreement
of 15 September.
The abuse of
office by some members of the ZRP continues unabated. This report
documents the torture of two men while in police custody and a subsequent
ploy by the officers detaining them to extort money from them in
order to secure their release. The Human Rights Forum condemns such
actions by the police and calls upon them to exercise due professional
conduct.
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